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El Concilio Family Services presents the Dr. Raymond F. Lopez Jr. Golf Classic, aptly titled for a man who has dedicated his professional life to improving the health of farmworkers.

Dr. Lopez began his career in healthcare in 1988, as a Doctor of Chiropractic. Over the next 12 years he built a successful practice on a reputation for excellence and integrity.

With the intent of doing more for the community, Dr. Lopez made a major decision to leave behind a thriving practice to pursue a medical degree. He completed his residency at the Ventura County Medical Center in family medicine in 2008.

At the present time, he is the Supervising Physician at La Clinica Fresalud, provided by Healthstat for the health and well being of the agricultural workers of Reiter Affiliated, in Oxnard, Watsonville, Santa Maria and Salinas.

Dr. Lopez has been selected as one of thirty-four health care professionals in the state of California to participate in the prestigious Champion Provider Fellowship Program. The 2-year fellowship focuses on policy, systems and on environmental change related to obesity and chronic disease prevention in the Latino community.

He has consistently made solid connections throughout his career, building on his skills, always focused on the goal of improving the health of the farmworker community.

With this in mind, El Concilio Family Services is proud to name its annual golf classic The Dr. Raymond F. Lopez Jr. Golf Classic.

Strong opposition from the California Chamber of Commerce helped to stop three job killer bills from continuing past the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Friday to reach Assembly Floor. CalChamber continues call attention to the negative impacts the remaining job killer bills would have on California’s job climate and economic recovery should they become law.

Following are job killer bills that are awaiting action this week by the full Senate or Assembly:

AB 2613(Reyes; D-Grand Terrace) Wage Statement Penalties -- Imposes another layer of Labor Code penalties for wage and hour violations in addition to the penalties already available under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and imposes personal liability onto employees who have no control over the actual payment of wages. Assembly Floor.

AB 3080(Gonzalez Fletcher; D-San Diego) Ban on Settlement Agreements and Arbitration Agreements — Significantly expands employment litigation and increases costs for employers and employees by banning settlement agreements for labor and employment claims as well as arbitration agreements made as a condition of employment, which is likely preempted under the Federal Arbitration Act and will only delay the resolution of claims. Banning such agreements benefits the trial attorneys, not the employer or employee. Assembly Floor.

SB 1121(Dodd; D-Napa) Increased Consumer Litigation -- Removes the requirement of economic injury for standing to bring a claim in California against a company for a data breach, undermining the intent of voters, and drastically increasing liability for companies without providing any corresponding benefit to California consumers. Senate Floor.

SB 1300(Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) Removes Legal Standing and Prohibits Release of Claims — Significantly increases litigation by removing the standing requirement for a plaintiff alleging failure to prevent harassment or discrimination when no harassment even occurs, limits the use of severance agreements, and prohibits the use of a general release or nondisparagement clause in employer/employee contracts. Senate Floor.

Three bills were held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 25:

AB 1902(Levine; D-San Rafael) Interference with Contracts — Discourages and reduces “personal service contracts” as defined, by unfairly increasing the contract price for these services based upon an undefined and unspecified “area income” rate that presumably will include wages from different industries and different occupations that are not comparable to personal services. It also provides the Department of Industrial Relations with extraordinary authority to value companies, determine “similar services” to be included under the provisions of this bill, and what constitutes “area income.” Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense File.

AB 2069(Bonta; D-Oakland) Medical Marijuana in Employment — Undermines employer’s ability to provide a safe and drug-free workplace by requiring employers to provide a reasonable accommodation to employees who use marijuana for a disability or medical purposes, exposing employers to costly and unnecessary litigation under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) whenever the employer terminates an employee who has created a safety hazard in the workplace. Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense File.

AB 3087(Kalra; D-San Jose) Health Care Price Controls — Jeopardizes employers’ negotiating power and access to care, ignores the drivers of health care costs, and adds another layer of bureaucracy by creating an appointed commission to impose price controls on health care providers and insurers. Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense File.

Action Needed

The CalChamber is encouraging businesses to contact their Assembly and Senate representatives to urge them to vote “no” on these job killer bills.

Following the popularity of our prior cooking demonstrations for healthy eating, Dignity Health - St. John’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC), invites community members to learn how to prepare a delectable summer meal with-a-nutritious twist. Allow doctors and chefs to show you the benefits of using alternate nourishing BBQ recipes and explain why it’s a good fit for your heart. Register now for this fun and free culinary experience! Friends and family members are also welcome to join this educational and tasting experience.

This one-hour class will be held on Thursday, June 7 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Conference Center on the Garden Level, at St. John’s Regional Medical Center (1600 N. Rose Ave. in Oxnard, CA 93030).

“You will discover how tasty healthy foods and new recipes with seasonings can be, for you and your family,” said Suzanne Soppe, RSM, Health Educator at St. John’s Regional Medical Center. “The opportunity for our participants to learn from this cooking demonstration encourages a healthier lifestyle, while also being fun and informative.”

This summer session will introduce alternate flavors to salt and why it matters. Attendees will also learn about tasty food options that increase fiber and that are low in fat, plus other cooking techniques.

This event is organized by our Community Health Education Department, Food and Nutrition Services, and physicians. It will be presented by experts from the SJRMC staff:• Manoj Khatore, MD, Cardiologist• Maria Kokkinides, DO, Internal Medicine• Matthew Schantz, Hospital Chef

Because space is limited, guests are encouraged to reserve their spot by calling (805) 988-2865. Registration is required to attend the class.

If anyone in the media would like to attend this event for a feature or to take photos, please contact Arrate Zavala in the Marketing Communications Department at (805) 988-2751.

Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin spearheaded an effort to secure approximately $80 million to fund the Rice Avenue overpass project at Fifth Street. The intersection has been labeled the third most dangerous rail crossing in California. Funding was granted by the California Transportation Commission.

Governor Jerry Brown is scheduled to be in Oxnard this afternoon for a ceremony acknowledging the kick-off of the project.

Darren Kettle, executive director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, which was tasked with finding the money for the project, welcomed the approval of the funds from state Senate Bill 1, last year’s Road Repair and Accountability Act. The legislation is funded by increased gas taxes and new vehicle license fees.

“We could not be more pleased that the commission awarded these funds to this project,” said Kettle, who attended the meeting in San Diego. “It’s a project that’s been in the making for decades and the funding was always going to be a question and with this award, that means the project can become a reality.”

If everything goes according to plan, construction of the bridge could begin by the end of 2020, he said.

We sincerely thank Assemblymember Irwin for her diligent and persistence to secure funding for the project!

Placed on Ballot by: Legislature.CalChamber Position: SupportReasons for PositionThe CalChamber Board voted to support the measure because it will provide funds for: groundwater cleanups that improve water quality; flood protection and repair; clean drinking water projects; and parks in urban and disadvantaged communities.More Information: www.yes68ca.com

Proposition 69

Requires that Certain New Transportation Revenues Be Used for Transportation Purposes. Legislative Constitutional Amendment.

Requires that certain revenues generated by a 2017 transportation funding law be used only for transportation purposes and generally prohibits Legislature from diverting funds to other purposes.

Beginning in 2024, requires that cap-and-trade revenues accumulate in a reserve fund until the Legislature, by a two-thirds majority, authorizes use of the revenues.​Placed on Ballot by: Legislature.CalChamber Position: SupportReasons for PositionThe CalChamber Board voted to support this measure because it will encourage bipartisan support for a cap-and-trade expenditure plan and allow for a process to negotiate expenditures that furthers the goals of the Legislature as a whole.More Information: www.calchamber.com/ballot

Provides that ballot measures approved by a majority of voters shall take effect five days after the Secretary of State certifies the results of the election.

Placed on Ballot by: Legislature.CalChamber Position: SupportReasons for PositionThe CalChamber Board voted to support the measure because allowing initiatives and referenda to go into effect before the vote has been certified by the Secretary of State can create confusion and even the erroneous implementation of new law.More Information:kevin.mullin@asm.ca.gov

Permits Legislature to allow construction of rain-capture systems, completed on or after January 1, 2019, without requiring property-tax reassessment.​Placed on Ballot by: Legislature.CalChamber Position: SupportReasons for PositionThe CalChamber Board voted to support Proposition 72 because rain water recapture systems are an effective means of conserving water that should be encouraged.More Information: SaveCaWater.org

Election ResourcesFor information on how to register to vote or how to vote, contact the office of the Secretary of State at 1-800-345-VOTE (8683) or visit www.sos.ca.gov.The website includes links to check voter status, register to vote online and the official voter information pamphlet.Election information also is available on the California Chamber of Commerce grassroots website at www.calchambervotes.com.

Now that the city council recall attempt is behind us, the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce is ready to get back to work and present the annual State of the City Address. Please join us on June 22 as we hear from:

Interim City Manager and Chief of Police, Scott WhitneyInterim Assistant City Manager and Director of Development Services, Ashley GoldenMayor of the City of Oxnard, Timothy B. Flynn

The mayor tells us he will focus on the future and not dwell on the past. We have a lot of opportunities as well as challenges ahead of us.

The State of the City will be held at the Embassy Suites on Friday, June 22, from 11:30 to 1:30. Sponsors are currently being accepted. Individual reservations can be made by clicking here or calling the office at 805-983-6118.

We thank the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Resort for their Title Sponsorship!

St. John’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital (SJPVH), which are Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals, are proud to announce they have been honored for the third time with Environmental Excellence Awards from Practice Greenhealth. Each campus received the 2018 Greenhealth Partner for Change Award and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH) also received the 2018 Greening the OR Recognition Award. These awards are given each year to honor environmental achievements in the health care sector. Both hospitals received the awards in San Diego, CA on May 9, 2018.

Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals have taken many steps to reduce waste while improving the health of our local environment. Our ongoing commitment to expand the health of our local environment is shown by improving utility consumption and expanding multiple environmental programs, such as the co-generation energy, green purchasing, recycling and toxic elimination programs.

"We are proud to have achieved this award after such an intense focus on improving our environmental impact for a number of years. It has truly been a collaborative effort between many different departments, and we are proud that our team has been recognized for these efforts," says George West, Vice President of Mission Integration for the Central Coast Service Area.

Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading membership and network organization in health care, is committed to sustainability principles and practices to protect patient, staff, community and environmental health. These Environmental Excellence awards recognize health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon programs to eliminate mercury, reduce and recycle waste, source products sustainably, and more.

The Partner for Change Award recognizes health care facilities that continuously improve and expand upon programs to eliminate mercury, reduce and recycle waste, source products sustainably, and more. Winning facilities must demonstrate that they are recycling at least 15 percent of their total waste, have reduced regulated medical waste, are on track to eliminate mercury, and have developed successful sustainability programs in many areas. Recipients of the 2018 Partner for Change Award must provide current year waste, energy and water data, recycle 10% or more of total waste stream, and share successful sustainability projects. Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals demonstrate this dedication in ways including: reporting gas emissions, improved utility consumption, and expansion of multiple environmental programs, such as the co-generation energy, green purchasing, recycling and toxic elimination programs. Dignity Health Central Coast continues to provide optimized patient care and employee and patient safety, all while minimizing environmental impact.

The Greening the OR Award recognizes the facility demonstrating the most success in reducing the environmental impact of its surgical suites. Operating rooms are large contributors to a health care facility’s environmental footprint, creating opportunity for significant cost savings and sustainability improvements.

Practice Greenhealth’s Partner for Change Award and Greening the OR Award both reinforce the active role SJPVH and SJRMC are committed to sustaining in helping our environment. All Dignity Health facilities share an obligation to supporting the community and the environment. Through current and future sustainability initiatives, Dignity Health continues to measure, manage and report its collective impact on the environment, ensuring the most positive impact possible.